Tying spade end hooks

[Steve Walker]

I don't find spade ends any harder to tie than eyed hooks, knotless knot or otherwise, so tying a spade end with a hair is no harder than tying one on an eyed hook.

 

If circumstances dictated a hair rig, and circumstances dictated a spade end, that would be fine. I don't find it happens, though, usually if I'm using hair rigs I'm after larger fish on heavier tackle and for that I use eyed hooks anyway.

[gozzer]

HI John, I probably should have left the bit about the review off the original post but it the new attachment, that got me wondering if there was any advantage to be had.

 

I am just questioning the need for tying hair rigs to spade end hooks. Is their an advantage to be had?

 

From what I can gather, and in my own (limited) experience, it seems that an eyed hook is so much easier to tie a hair on so why bother tying hairs on spade hooks?

 

Is there any point? Just because you can does not meant it is any better - does it?

 

Ralph.

 

Like I said before, I don't use hair rigged baits, so I'm not the best to comment on this. My opinion, for what it's worth, is the same as Steves, in the above post. If you feel that you need a 'lighter' hook to facilitate the pick up of the bait, then a spade end could be the answer, but, in general, I can't see any real advantage in using one in place of an eyed hook.

I don't think that it's any easier to tie an eyed hook with a knotless knot and hair, than it is to tie a spade end with a longer tag, so for me, ease of tying doesn't come into it.

 

John.

[Martin56]

Like I said before, I don't use hair rigged baits, so I'm not the best to comment on this. My opinion, for what it's worth, is the same as Steves, in the above post. If you feel that you need a 'lighter' hook to facilitate the pick up of the bait, then a spade end could be the answer, but, in general, I can't see any real advantage in using one in place of an eyed hook.

I don't think that it's any easier to tie an eyed hook with a knotless knot and hair, than it is to tie a spade end with a longer tag, so for me, ease of tying doesn't come into it.

 

John.

A spade end in the smaller sizes (say a 16 or 18) will almost always outfish an eyed in the same sizes re presentation.

 

It's the way it hangs, the spade end bit is much less visible & a bit more Hydrodynamic than the eyed - Important when fish are finnicky!!

Edited March 15, 2017 by Martin56

[gozzer]

A spade end in the smaller sizes (say a 16 or 18) will almost always outfish an eyed in the same sizes re presentation.

 

It's the way it hangs, the spade end bit is much less visible & a bit more Hydrodynamic than the eyed - Important when fish are finnicky!!

 

It don't 'hang' if fished as a hair rig, usually on the bottom waiting to be sucked up with the bait.

What baits do you hair rig on a size 18 Martin, is it pellets?

 

John.

[Martin56]

It don't 'hang' if fished as a hair rig, usually on the bottom waiting to be sucked up with the bait.

What baits do you hair rig on a size 18 Martin, is it pellets?

 

John.

No John, I'm not really talking about Hair rigs here mate, I'm on about the presentation of baits on small hooks (like Maggots etc)

 

Spade end wins everytime then.

[Fishplate 42]

No John, I'm not really talking about Hair rigs here mate, I'm on about the presentation of baits on small hooks (like Maggots etc)

 

Spade end wins everytime then.

I get the presentation of spade hooks and agree with it. I was asking if there was ever any advantage in tying a hair on a spade hook over using an eyed hook.

 

As far as I can see there is no advantage so why do it?

 

Ralph.

[Steve Walker]

Spade ends give better presentation with smaller hooks and finer lines. If I wanted to tie a hair rig on a size 22, I'd do it with a spade end, but the need has never arisen. I don't see any circumstances in which one would usually use an eyed hook but would choose a spade end simply because fishing a hair rig.

 

So no advantage to a spade end specifically in respect of using a hair rig, and "why do it" - only because you were going to use a spade end anyway for other reasons.